The Black Student Engagement Fund (BSEF) offers financial support to Black student groups and individuals to support the experience of Black students and foster community amongst Black students across the St. George campus.
Examples of past projects include:
- Black Excellence Night
- Black Muslim Identities Workshop
- Black Speculative Arts Movement Toronto
- Politics of Black Hair
About the BSEF Committee
The BSEF Committee is made up of ten Black-identifying students from U of T, and one non-voting staff member chair.
Committee members are required to stay on for a full academic year (fall and winter semester of one year). Members will be expected to review applications and attend a voting meeting soon after to discuss and vote on which initiatives should receive funding.
Benefits to committee members:
- Gain experience reviewing and voting on funding processes.
- Meet other like-minded students.
- Receive CCR recognition.
- Develop connections with Student Engagement staff.
- Free snacks for in person meetings!
BSEF Committee applications are currently closed.
If you have any questions, please contact the Student Life Coordinator, Black Student Engagement at mod.kuforiji@utoronto.ca.
Current Black-identifying U of T students and/or student groups from the St. George campus.
Black-identifying students from UTM and UTSC are not eligible to apply.
Read the SIF Guiding Principles and Terms of Reference (PDF) to ensure your eligibility. At least the primary or secondary contact for the application must currently be enrolled in courses during the semester in which the application is submitted.
The Black Student Engagement Fund is available for Black students at St. George to apply to anytime during the fall and winter semesters. Depending on the amount requested, a BSEF-funded event will fall into one of two tiers, with a maximum of $3000 CAD being funded per event.
Tier 1
Simple events or initiatives
Tier 1 funding is available for small-scale or simple initiatives that require funds up to $499 CAD for venue and food related expenses. Examples include snacks (with plates, napkins etc.) for an open mic night, a meet & greet session, supplies for a “mocktail” event or a room booking or A/V fee.
Tier 2
Medium-large initiatives
Tier 2 funding is available for initiatives that require funds from $500 – $3000 CAD to enhance the student experience and foster a sense of community on the St. George campus. Examples include an alumni night, an art exhibition, a workshop or speaker series, a themed conference or a cultural event for students.
Application process
- Before you apply, be sure that you and your project partners read and fully understand the SIF Guiding Principles and Terms of Reference (PDF).
- It is important to be clear about the total amount in the budget section of the application. Please make line items and total budgets as accurate as possible.
- It is the responsibility of the primary and secondary contacts listed on your application to be reachable throughout the BSEF process, including the submission of the Post-Initiative Report. BSEF will only communicate with the listed contacts.
- Log onto the Student Initiative Fund Portal with your UTORid to apply. Only current students at the St. George campus will be able to enter the platform and successfully apply. Once logged in, press the “New BSEF Application” button, and be sure to save your application once complete for it to be submitted.
After you submit your application
- Applications are reviewed by the BSEF Committee after the funding term deadline has passed.
- Applicants are contacted by email. This process usually takes three weeks. The Committee’s decisions are final.
- When your initiative is finished, you must complete and submit the BSEF Post-Initiative Report (PDF), receipts, any invoices and declaration forms (see Considerations and Exceptions) via email to sif@utoronto.ca to receive all of your allotted funds. Only submit over email, you do not need to submit anything in person in an office.
Please note: If you update your application’s budget within the SIF Application Portal while the BSEF Committee is reviewing, or there is a change to your budget while preparing for your initiative, it is your responsibility to email sif@utoronto.ca to make note of that change so that it can be accurately reflected.
Record-keeping and completing post-initiative report
Keep a clear record of where you are spending funds and keep all original itemized receipts. Any changes to your proposed budget should be approved prior to spending funds on non-approved expenses. Contact sif@utoronto.ca for any budget changes that occur throughout the process.
The primary and secondary contacts should be the students purchasing the approved budget items for the initiative. If a club executive or member who is not the primary or secondary contact purchases approved budget items, please provide the purchaser’s name, club affiliation/membership to ensure reimbursement along with the submission of your Post-Initiative Report and documents.
Download: BSEF Post-Initiative Report Form (PDF)
IMPORTANT NOTE: Be aware that failure to submit a complete post-initiative report will result in the project applicant being personally responsible for the project costs.
Please email a complete BSEF Post-Initiative Report Form with original itemized receipts and proof of payment to sif@utoronto.ca.
Pre and post-project funds
You can request up to 40% of your approved funding (based on amount BSEF Committee allocated) BEFORE the project starts, based on the projected budget included in your approved application. It takes a minimum of 35 days for advancement cheques to be processed once the request is received.
To receive all/the remainder of your allotted funds at THE END of your project, you must submit your BSEF Post-Initiative Report, original receipts and proof of payment within one month of your project’s end date. After the Post-Initiative Report is received, the balance of funds will be released. This will also take a minimum of 35 days to process.
Allocating funds to facilitators or participants who assist with your initiative can take three forms:
Prizes
- awarded through success in a contest
- can be won by participants
- maximum of $100 per person (subject to pre-approval) and $100 per initiative
- cannot be cash
- recipient must sign a declaration (PDF) acknowledging receipt of the prize
Honoraria
- symbol of gratitude for assistance with an initiative, not won
- does not require an invoice
- maximum of $100 per person (subject to pre-approval)
- can be cash
- recipient must sign a declaration (PDF) acknowledging receipt of the honorarium
Fees for services
- paid via invoice for a service provided to initiative
- invoice required, upon payment must show that fee was paid
- can be greater than $100 (subject to pre-approval)
- can be cash
Proposals will not be funded if they:
- are for the purpose of fundraising
- are held outside of U of T (e.g. an application submitted by a U of T St. George student on behalf of their external community-based organization)
- involve personal expenses (e.g. BSEF funding cannot be used for flights. Funding can be used for local GTA travel up to $100 and gifts/honoraria up to $100.)
- include alcohol-related expenses
- are capital in nature, unless the capital is used for the formation of a new student club
- are for general operating expenses of student clubs or organizations (BSEF is intended for projects/events/activities and not business cards, apparel, or compensation for event organizers.)
- are from an applicant who has NOT submitted the post-project reports for any previous BSEF or SIF-funded project
- exclude any student or student group from participation
- require event planning and risk management practices, and these have not been addressed
Initiatives with sources of revenue or other funding
If your initiative is a ticketed event, please provide the following:
- The cost of each ticket sold, and the grand total of all ticket sales (if you are using a registration website, this information should be available to download)
- Registration or attendance list (providing total number of students or people in attendance)
If items were sold at your initiative, please provide the cost of each item (such as snacks, etc.) and the grand total of all item sales
If you receive additional revenue or funding from another source, please provide the email contact for that source.
Additional funding
We encourage you to seek additional funding, if needed. Here are possible sources: